The Way of Noxus
by PuncturedButterfly
Summary: She was all a man could want and all a woman would envy. Even the fool Garen had fallen for her — so why wouldn't the Exile look at her?
1. Chapter 1

[A/N:] Hey guys, it's PB (no, not _that_ one)! So, lately I've been obsessed with the idea of Riven x Katarina and I just couldn't get it out of my head. Persistent as herpes — except that I don't do herpes, but that's another story…  
Well anyways, here you have it! Some fiction about love-struck Kat and her attraction to the Exile. The name of it is kinda lame, but due to the lack of a better title you'll just have to deal with it ;-)

Rated M for violence, blood, swearing and future mature content. League of Legends and its characters are not mine but Riot is doing a good job in making money with them.

* * *

… Katarina sat under her turret in mid lane, a Doran's Ring glinting on her pinky, and impatiently waited for something to happen. Her enemy had not yet showed up and the hotheaded assassin trained her emerald eyes with some effort on the brushes beside the river bed. Her sight was a little blurry, but she decided it wouldn't make a difference. She was still as deadly as ever.

The annotator's voice boomed all over the place as she announced the spawning of minions and soon enough, the little critters clad in blue robes, equipped with little maces and little staffs, were emerging from the fog of war, walking in single file up to the middle of the lane and immediately starting to mash their heads.  
Katarina looked on bored how the mindless pawns struck away on one another and only bothered to move when a low-health enemy minion dared to come too close to her position. The magic of the Fields of Justice signaled her with a faint display above the dead minion's head and a rattling sound that she had just earned another 21 gold.

This continued for a while and still there was no sign of an enemy Champion. The Du Couteau had easily gained another few hundred gold before she caught movement in the brushes near the river. Her assassin senses kicking in, she crouched low and hid behind her turret, waiting for someone foolish enough to dare and attack her minions.  
"Show yourselves aw'ready…" she growled — a slight slur in her words —, her sharp blades at the ready. And just as expected stumbled a nervous-looking Twitch out of the brushes, his nose peaking up in the air as he took aim. Katarina scrunched up her own nose at the unsightly view. The Plague Rat didn't even saw it coming, so fast was the assassin behind his back with a – considering her current condition — surprisingly well-placed _Shunpo._

"Heh. _Gotcha._" He froze in mid-motion and turned his face, black eyes wide in sheer terror, as a slash to the neck made short work of him. A pleased smile crept up on Katarina's face as she brushed her hair out of her face and listened to the announcer declaring "First Blood!"

There was an angry yell from somewhere beyond the jungle and the Sinister Blade could pinpoint it as Tryndamere's. She scowled; that man needed to learn to control himself. She sheathed her slender blades on her back and totteringly retreated behind her line of minions, Twitch's body glowing faintly as his spirit was lifted and brought back to the nexus.

_Idiot. Should've known not ta mess with me, 'specially not on __**my**__ lane. I'll wipe the ground with his shitty face anytime_, she thought to herself and flung a knife at a minion, earning another handful of gold in the process. While her lane opponent was gone, the Sinister Blade resumed what she knew of the situation at hand…  
Her team consisted of Vayne and Blitzcrank on bot lane, Darius on top and Warwick as the jungler. She herself was of course on mid lane. Tryndamere was on the enemy team and judging from the direction his barbaric yell had come from, he must be on top lane. What a surprise. Twitch was obviously their mid laner — which was as stupid an idea as ever — and then there were Ezreal and Lulu whom Katarina assumed to be bot. The last of the opposing team however, was positively making her blood boil.

Her eyes became hard and she angrily tossed a whirl of knives at the minions in her way, making short work of at least three of them. She still had a few seconds left before the Plague Rat would return, so Katarina decided to make the best of it and continue farming.

She rounded one of her allied minions and drifted to the side to throw another _Bouncing Blade_ at a low-health enemy, when suddenly—

"_Hraaah!_"

—something heavy cut into her back full force. The Du Couteau screamed out in agony, rolling herself off and coming to a halt in a low crouch, her back hurting like hell. Bilious green lights played around the edges of her eyes; the remnants of the unique kind of magic true to the one and only — Riven, the Exile.

The white-haired warrior sat across from her on the ground, on one knee, her broken blade drilled into the ground between them. Blue and red gems floated around her body, indicating she had just slain Golem and Lizard. Katarina's pulse made a sickening jump and anger welled up inside her as she forced herself out of the dirt. She would not stand low before this _traitor._  
"Sinister Blade." Riven stood up as well, lifting her sword and settling into a fighting pose. Katarina drew her blades and did the same, "Exile."

_You finally come crawlin' back?_

There were many thoughts on Riven running through Katarina's head. Most of them expressed disgust for what she'd done, how cowardly she had been. She harbored deep anger for the woman in front of her, how she betrayed their common home and how she abandoned everything that Noxus had given her in the past.  
They didn't expel her because she wasn't doing a good job or because she was an embarrassment to their nation. Riven had always been indeed more than capable. No, Riven was an exile by choice.

_You decided to leave us… You decided to leave __**us**__!_

And that arrogance — to believe she had the right to deny her homeland her service — was grinding Katarina's gears. They had given her so much; status, a place to live, a name; hell, even the very sword she was pointing at her nose right now! And Riven had been _shitting_ on all of that.

**_I_**_ had given you so much…_

So it was only natural for the Sinister Blade to be furious at her. She had never really felt any other emotions than anger, hate and disgust. They were the prominent ones she had experienced in her life and it had always been fine with her that way.  
But there was one emotion that she couldn't face, that she had never been able to face; and Riven was the only one to ever make it come out of her. She clenched her teeth. As much as Katarina wanted to rip her arms off for leaving Noxus, she also wanted nothing more than to be held safe and sound within them.

A blood-curdling war cry escaped her lungs as she dashed forward and attacked the Exile. Steel met steel as they clashed in battle. Katarina, in her haze of blurriness and frustration, lashed out with every blade and knife and dirty trick she had and knew, while Riven parried all but the most harmless ones and counterattacked whenever the possibility presented itself.

The minions in the lane were long forgotten as were the deaths of Darius and Tryndamere, who managed to execute themselves at the same time in top lane. All that mattered was the woman before her — _so close to her_ — that she had to fight today.  
"Ya shouldn't have come here all alone!" the Sinister Blade shouted and drew another knife from within her leather jacket. It was, however, swiftly knocked out of her hand as Riven pushed her elbow to her chest and forced her two steps back. She didn't say anything, her red eyes obviously flashing with confusion.

It took another few strikes and the two combatants were dancing away from mid lane and into the southern jungle. Riven was pushing her, but Katarina didn't even seem to notice. Instead, she was grinning like a maniac as she out-stepped just another _Broken Wings_ assault. Riven frowned.  
"What's wrong, _Exile?_ Have ya lost yur edge yet?" the Du Couteau taunted and slashed away at Riven's unprotected arm, carving a deep wound into her tanned flesh. It left Katarina with a weird satisfaction and she had to physically fight the urge to shake herself.

The Exile didn't even bat an eye at the wound, the League's magic lessening the pain significantly, as Katarina slipped behind her defense and shoved her face close to hers. Her eyes seemed unfocused and her voice sounded very rough. "Ehehe… You're _mine_ now," she… _slurred?_ Riven's eyes widened as the realization struck her with the smell of her breath. "Katarina… Are you drunk?"  
"Pffff, jus' a bit tipsy," she retorted, a slight smile turning into a smirk, "But still more than enough for the likes of you!" A forceful thrust brought the Exile into the air and her hesitation was regarded with a kick in the gut.

She landed flat on her back a few meters away, Katarina immediately catching up and standing over her frame, a blade to her throat. Riven glared at the tip and then up at the Du Couteau, who had a pleased expression on her face.  
"Whataya do now, Exile, when you can't run away from e'rything?" Riven growled lowly under her breath, "At least I'm not the one drowning my problems in alcohol."

The white-haired warrior just clenched her teeth and swallowed the cry as the blade dug forcefully into her throat.

* * *

Katarina downed the drink in one swig, spitting on the counter at the ghastly taste. The liquor burned in her throat, her eyes felt heavy and she couldn't feel her fingertips anymore. The bartender, Gragas, threw her a disapprovingly look and ran over her spit with a dirty rag, continuing to serve his guests. Katarina didn't even spare him a glance.  
It had become a habit of hers to come here and sit in this particular spot for the majority of the night, trying in vain to — and she angrily clenched her teeth at the thought, because after all the Exile was right — drown her problems in alcohol for at least a few contiguous hours.

She growled and searched for Gragas' eyes in a silent order for another shot, but he seemed to deliberately ignore her. It didn't serve to calm her nerves. Eventually, a long arm slung itself around her shoulders and the Sinister Blade needed a moment to comprehend that she had company. Her glazed-over eyes drifted to and found white ones staring back intently.

"Katarina, my dear! I believe our wonderful Gragas can't see your hostile gaze through that curtain of hair you've put around your face." He brushed a few strands of her red hair out of her eyes and behind her ear, promptly earning himself a drunken swipe at his face.  
"Gedoff me, you ugly mongrel," she snarled, but the arm around her shoulders only pulled her closer to the Crimson Reaper. He laughed through his nose. "Aha, no need to be rude. I was just trying to do you a favor."

Katarina just snarled again and attempted to get him away from her — she just wanted to be alone. To her chagrin, the blonde actually succeeded in making a drink appear before her nose and she begrudgingly accepted it. He smirked, "There you go, darling." Katarina mumbled into the pint, "The fuck daya want, Vlad?"  
"Well, if you insist… It's not exactly news to anyone that you delivered quite a disastrous performance in your match today." Katarina wanted to throw a hundred things into his face at this, most of them not consisting of words but rather knives, but she held back and instead gurgled into her shot. "So, in _genuine_ concern for my friend, I wanted to know if there was anything I could do for you." His eyes appeared to dart to her drink for a second. "Aside from buying your alcohol, that is."

"I dun need anything from you. Jus' fuck off," the fierce red-head huffed and snatched her pint away from him, cradling it as if she would her blades. Vladimir's arm remained where it was, his large smile not faltering a moment. He looked too smug for his own good, Katarina decided, "Lovesick maybe?"

Her eyes went wide in an instant and she discarded her drink, blindingly-fast grabbing him by his needlessly large collar and putting her gloved hand over his mouth, nearly choking him. The Crimson Reaper struggled against her grip and only barely succeeded in peeling her off him without having to _Sanguine Pool_ing right out of her grasp.  
He chuckled and rearranged his blood-red suit, "Did I hit a soft spot?" Katarina hissed. "Dun say that so loud, jackass! Wha' if someone hears you?!" Vladimir smiled pleased. "So I take it you _are_ lovesick then?"

"Whaaaat? Pffff, ahaha, 'f course not!" She did not sound very convincing to him. "I swear to aw' the Gods above, Vladimir, if ya tell anyone o' this, ya'll get a taste o' cold, sharp steel!" A formerly invisible blade was suddenly produced out of thin air and hovering only an inch away from his nose, leaving the Crimson Reaper with his hands raised.  
"Calm down, Katarina! I'm not going to tell anyone." The knife only very reluctantly retreated. It still left him relieved. "Now, care to tell me why you are sitting here drinking yourself to oblivion when you could also be doing something to get rid of your little problem?"

The Sinister Blade heaved a deep sigh and let her head fall back to the counter with a 'thud'. "Vlad, I'm so helpless, Vlad… I-I dunno what to do…" Her voice was weak, quivering even, as she trailed off and the Crimson Reaper actually felt somewhat sad for her. Originally, he had come here to bathe in her misery and enjoy seeing the usually strong woman stuck in an emotional limbo. After all, she never let a chance to harass him slip.  
But, his joy was mildly contained with the way she was trying to express herself. To _him_ of all people. Vladimir sighed as well and ordered a drink for himself; a pint of Graggy Ice. They sat in silence for a moment and for a second, Vladimir thought Katarina was asleep.

But when he spotted movement and she lifted her face off the table, he just grinned widely at the red imprint left in the middle on her forehead. She threw him a look, "Whataya lookin' at, ey?" He waved his clawed hand, "Nothing, darling, nothing…"  
"Gah…" He took his time finishing his drink.

"I guess we should think of a plan," the blonde finally said. His white eyes were slightly glowing in a red light, oddly reminding Katarina of Riven's and she found herself leaning forward to him until she snapped out of it and blinked. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, I do not need to be a second Karma to sense your distress." His arm wrapped itself around her shoulders once again, "You, my dear, need to get laid." Katarina was not at all impressed by his sensational inference — and she made it obvious. "You dun say."

His evil cackle combined with the charming pull-up of his eyebrow made her uneasy suddenly and she shrunk back. "Vlaaaad? Why're you lookin' at me like that?"

* * *

[A/N:] So much for Chapter 01. I have no idea if drunken people actually talk like this, but I tried my best, lol. If there are any corrections to make, please give me a virtual nudge into the right direction and I'll fix it as soon as I'm able to overcome my common laziness.

Otherwise, please let me know what you think and gimme a small review! :-)


	2. Chapter 2

[A/N:] Chapter 02 of Kat's ordeal! This is rather long and there'll be a ton of shilly-shallying with no actual plot, but it's the bits and pieces that make the cake, right? ;-)

* * *

If the flowers in her hands weren't enough out of place, it certainly was the red, low-cut dress he had put her in. Her eye twitched dangerously and the Sinister Blade did her very best not to rip him to shreds right then and there. The Crimson Reaper swooned all over the outfit and how good it was on her and that she looked totally lovely in it; it would have driven _anyone_ mad.  
And that wasn't even the top of the cake. No, the cherry was the face her _sister_ was making — or rather the howling laughter she had tried to contain for the past twenty minutes. The Serpent's Embrace had made herself comfortable on the wide couch across the room, cushions piled up under her, and observed Katarina intently. Her cheeks were flushed with glee, eyes full of tears of mirth, and she constantly had to hold at least one of her clawed hands over her face to cover her mouth and keeping from cackling like a madwoman.

Vladimir the wicked bastard had dared to tell her sister of this.

_I swear, I will kill this idiotic moron as soon as I get out of this offense to a Noxian General!_

Cassiopeia contently rolled onto her side, supporting her head with her hand and tried to calm down, lest she died from laughter. "Wow, Kat, you never cease to amaze me. This is definitely a new highlight, even for you." Katarina just glared at her, already tugging on the dress in a somewhat nervous manner. She felt uncomfortable, and it certainly showed.  
"Keep your split tongue behind that sharp teeth of yours, bitch." Cassiopeia simply darted her tongue out and hissed lowly at her sister. "You're most amusing thing I have seen in a while." She turned her head to the side and added a mumbled "And I constantly have to put up with the weirdest shit…"

Vladimir came sauntering back with a — and now _both_ Du Couteaus nearly lost control of their facial features — large, fluffy feather boa in dark purple. "Katarina, darling! I just saw Fortune wearing this in one of her recent matches and I thought it looked _wonderful!_ I'm sure it would fit you as well!" He was about to throw it around her neck when she finally snapped.  
"TAKE THIS THING OUT OF MY FACE _AT ONCE,_ VLADIMIR!" The hilt of a blade hit him right in his eye and the Crimson Reaper recoiled sharply, mewling as he held his war wound. "Holy bloodshed, what do you think you're doing!?"

"You are an insult to all of Noxus! Go keep your twisted fantasies to yourself, faggot!" The bruised blonde looked up at her through one watery eye, feeling hurt. "I was helping you! Women like this kind of stuff! I must know, I've had—" She interrupted him, "—like not a _single_ woman in your entire, worthless life! Now get off me, you gay fairy!"  
"Yea, right! Because _you_ are just soooo straight as an arrow!" Another knife flung itself at his head, narrowly avoiding him as he _Sanguine Pool_ed right out of harms way. Approximately two seconds later he reappeared a few meters away from the fuming assassin, a shocked expression on his face. "Did you just try to kill me? As in, _actually_ tried to kill me?!"

Cassiopeia giggled and watched the little scene unfolding before her eyes; the two hot-headed Noxians throwing insult after insult at each other. They were like an old married couple sometimes and that promptly sparked a thought. "I wonder if you and Riven would be like this too." That had them turning their attention to the Serpent's Embrace.  
The younger of the Du Couteau sisters slithered off the couch and casually waved her hand at them. "You now. Like this." Her rather annoyed expression suddenly turned into a full grin. "Oh, but of course, for me to find that out, you'd have to hook up with her first. Ahahaha."

Her bellowing laughter erupted from the room as she slithered away, Katarina was only barely held back in her plain fury by Vladimir. "I'm gonna kill the both of you! Unsupportive back-stabbers!" the Sinister Blade yelled and managed to pull herself out of Vladimir's grip.  
She ripped the dress from her body and hastily retrieved her leather uniform. She instantly felt way better. _Damn this nonsense… As if this will help me getting closer to Riven. Mmh, closer to Riven…_ An image of the young Riven, hot eyes and tanned skin, appeared before her mental eye and Katarina shooed it away with rigorous head-shaking.

She was getting paranoid. She couldn't keep drifting to day dreams about some woman who she didn't know anymore when she should be concentrating on the here and now. After all, _she_ was the Sinister Blade of Noxus and she had a job to do.  
So when she had all of her belts and straps arranged, the Du Couteau straightened and threw a glance at the Crimson Reaper who still stood a fair distance away from her, glaring.

"Vladimir, I'm going. Training has been overdue." Her expression was bored at best, "And you should really go talk to Taric about that little problem of yours." With that, the Sinister Blade of Noxus left and threw the door in her displeasure.

Vladimir didn't move until he couldn't hear her swift footsteps anymore. "_I'm not gay…_" he mumbled to himself as he picked the feather boa up and petted it as if to soothe his own wounded pride.

* * *

A few moments later, the Sinister Blade was inside the training room. It — just like the Fields of Justice and the Institute of War themselves — was neutral ground where every Champion enjoyed complete diplomatic immunity. Sparrings were allowed, but no actual bloodshed. Everyone who disregarded the rules would be punished accordingly.  
The training room was a large hall with various pieces of equipment suited for most of the Champions' basic needs. Since most of the others would often seek privacy while training in the vast forest outside the Institute of War, it came as no surprise that the Du Couteau was alone. Katarina walked up straight to the dummies on one side of the hall; they had multiple targets of varying sizes on their bodies to mark vital points.

She fumbled with a knife in her hand, lazily swirling it around her index finger. Her swagger stopped and she rolled her shoulders. She began with her usual warm-up — throwing daggers at the largest marks on the dummies' bodies. In a wide swiping motion, she fanned out and blades hit the targets. She hit every one of them right in the bull's-eye, naturally, and repeated this several times.  
Annoyed at the monotony already, Katarina stepped it up a notch. There was a pretty little mechanism in the rail under the dummies that made them drive up and down the side of the room. If she remembered correctly, the Yordles of Piltover Customs had built this. She snorted; at least she could give those little pests credit for their inventions.

Movable targets were harder to strike of course and the engine could make the dummies go quite fast. It was nothing compared to the speed some of the other Champions were moving with, but it did the trick and Katarina could stay in shape even when she wasn't picked for matches.

She continued her training session for about an hour until someone new interrupted her solitude. The Sinister Blade stopped in her attempt at murdering yet another imaginary Vladimir and turned her attention to the door.  
There in the frame stood a petite feminine figure, four tips of sharp blades standing out and Katarina instantly knew who this was — Irelia, the Will of the Blades. _Karma's lapdog_, she thought disapprovingly.

The woman looked at her unblinking for a moment before inviting herself in. Her blades hovered around her body and Katarina was tense. She hated Ionians with a fervor.

These were the people who took the Exile away.

The red-head clenched her fists around the hilts of her knives, not wavering in her threatening stare. Irelia however, didn't seem fazed at all. She sauntered over to the Du Couteau and crossed her arms. "Katarina. I haven't seen you here for quite some time. Do you feel the need to hone your skills?" It was a blatant hint to her match yesterday.  
"None of your business, midget." She overheard Katarina's insult completely and simply smirked. "Well, that's too sad. I would have loved to see your improvements firsthand." Katarina quirked an eyebrow. _Is she challenging me?_ Her lips twitched up in a sly smile, "I never said I wouldn't enjoy a little spar once in a while."

That made Irelia return the hostile grin. "Delighting. I have long wanted a test of prowess against you." She let her arms fall to her sides, her body visibly tensing up. Training sessions were always the same, dull routine. It has been quite a while since she last had a sparring partner and Katarina would not let this opportunity slip — especially if it meant beating the living shit out of pesky little isle apes. She grinned devilishly at Irelia, "Come at me, Ionian."

She had closed the distance in an instant, her four blades striking at Katarina, and the Du Couteau had to make a dash out of harm's way to not get caught. The League's magic immediately sensed the two engaging in combat and weaved the protective blue veil around their bodies. Katarina twirled her blades in her hands, dropping into a fighting stance. This would certainly help to take her mind off things — or people.

Irelia struck first. She flew toward Katarina in a _Bladesurge,_ bringing her weapon down with a battle cry. Katarina rolled to the side to avoid being hit and instantly turned, slashing at Irelia's calf. However, the Ionian saw this coming and took a step forward, whirling around to strike once more. Katarina heaved herself up the ground and their blades rattled.  
The Will of the Blades moved quickly, erratically, to out-step the red-head's ferocious lunges. She was quite light-footed and it proved actually hard to land a good blow or two. Katarina had never crossed blades with Irelia before — she was naturally covering mid lane while the Ionian was on top lane — and she was irritated at how graceful she moved.

She twisted and turned, jumped and spun, and the two assassins were exchanging hits and strikes wherever the opportunity presented itself. They flew across the room and back again, dodging blades behind the dummies and counter-attacking effectively.  
Their dangerous dance continued for a while, leaving them both breathing heavily, muscles weary from their clash. Irelia huffed a chuckle, "Heh. You're good." — her eyes sparkled — "Just like Riven said." That made Katarina halt in her mental attempt to rip the Ionian apart right then and there. _What the hell does she mean by that?_

Fear gripped her and the Du Couteau wondered if Vladimir or possibly her sister could have told anyone of her infatuation with the Exile… _No. They wouldn't have…!_ Irelia noticed her uneasiness immediately, but fortunately mistook it for irritation. "Yes, she told me about you. Said you were one of the most dangerous soldiers of Noxus' _glorious_ military." Katarina let her words sink in, while the women continued to circle each other warily.  
Quickly enough, she regained control over her features and her face turned to stone. "She said you were as deadly as you were passionate and that she knew of not a single target you haven't successfully eliminated." Somehow, that made Katarina proud. Did Riven really say she was _passionate?_ And if so, what exactly did it mean?

The Sinister Blade couldn't help but smirk, imagining Riven. However, she covered it up as a blood-thirsty one. She was up and ready to get at her throat again when suddenly Irelia got completely distracted. She halted in her attempt to slice the other woman to shreds.  
The Ionia's eyes were glued to the entrance, which Katarina couldn't see since she had her back toward it. She did not move to risk a look however, in case it was a trap. It was probably just some peasant anyway.

"Someone's watching us," Irelia commented and relaxed. The Du Couteau snorted and put her blades away as well, annoyed at their distraction. She turned and threw her best evil glare at the door, but her fury evaporated in an instant. Beside the door frame stood Riven.  
She didn't know whether to yell at her for intruding and effectively putting a stop to their fight or be delighted at seeing her here. Irelia didn't even spare the red-head a glance when she spoke, "Ah. I'm sorry, Katarina, but we have to continue this another time." With that, she ignored her and walked past the fuming assassin. Katarina saw how she had her eyes set on the Exile.

Riven herself didn't say a word. She just leant there on the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, one foot against it. Her eyes were boring into Irelia's — and hell did Katarina know why. The Will of the Blades continued her strut out of the room, adding a somewhat sultry-sounding "Wouldn't want to give my moves away." Riven slowly turned her head to follow her movements, eyes never leaving the dark-haired beauty, and Katarina was not quite sure if she saw the beginning of a smile on her lips. But she didn't look close enough, or maybe it was the burning anger at the scene unfolding that made her vision blurry.  
However, Katarina resumed the action of twirling a knife around her finger, trying to focus on something else but the two women in their annoying little game.

When Irelia was finally gone, the Exile turned her glowing gaze to the red-head. It took her a great deal of self-restraint not to lose her cool at those eyes. "Are you free?" the Exile asked and immediately, Katarina's mind answered with a naughty _"Free to do anything you want me to."_  
She did not reply outside of the realm of her brain however and with the way Riven just _smirked_ a bemused little smirk at her, she assumed she must have had quite a stressed expression on her face. The warrior pushed herself off the wall and walked toward her, not waiting for anything else.

This _insolence_ to think that she was actually okay with having a new sparring partner was getting under Katarina's skin. She barked at the Exile, "So you're looking for another beating? One might think you've had enough after that match yesterday."  
It was true; though Katarina had been awfully intoxicated, she _had_ been making short work of the Exile four times — in complete and utter rage, that was. Nevertheless, it didn't make up for the amount of her deaths _at all._

Riven shook her head in slight amusement, "Yes, you got me a few times, I'll give you that. But in the end, you lost." Her face became stern, "'And it is regardless of how you achieve your goal. The outcome is what is important.' Your words exactly." Reciting this sentence — this attitude to life that the Du Couteau was living and breathing by — was making her squirm in rage.  
Whatever these damned Ionians had done to her, Katarina was sick of having to endure it. She just wanted to rip this woman before her apart and fling the parts away. Maybe that would help Riven reconstructing her mind.

"Stop trash-talking and brace yourself, Exile! I'm not going easy on you!" the Sinister Blade exclaimed and raised her knife at Riven. "Better make up for interrupting my fight!" She didn't give her newest opponent the time to get ready and draw her blade before _Shunpo_ing behind her and slashing away at her unprotected back.  
Riven must have seen it coming a mile ago, because the white-haired warrior just rolled out of the way and came to a halt in a crouched position. Her eyes blazed as she took hold of her weapon's hilt, unsheathing the remnants of what once was a symbol to all of Noxus.

Katarina laughed at the broken piece — still being even longer than one of her own swords — and gave chase. Their blades clashed in an explosion of tiny sparks, a loud clattering sound being thrown into the room. Katarina immediately felt the exhilaration of battle pulsing through her veins again. She felt light-headed and let her anger out in each strike.  
Riven had been a lot more defensive in their match upon the Fields yesterday, but the Du Couteau was too far down the spiral to notice. Maybe it was because she herself was a lot less wasted this time… She dodged and evaded, countered and blocked.

It was a pretty even match to say the least, both Noxians proving skillful enough to not underlay. Katarina felt excitement mixing up with her anger and the little moment with Irelia popped up in her head again. She smirked and locked eyes with Riven, "So, you and that Ionian? Why am I not surprised?" Riven blinked before using her strength to push Katarina away a good distance. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, come on! I just saw the two of you being all lovey-dovey. Just there, a second ago! Don't tell me it was just my overactive imagination," she taunted and grinned at Riven. The warrior however, was just striking a rather confused face. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I guess it _was_ your overactive imagination. Irelia and I are Champions of the League, nothing more."  
Katarina grit her teeth in anger, her eyebrows pulled low above her emerald eyes. She scoffed, "Whatever you think, Exile." She spoke surprisingly quietly and Riven wasn't sure if she had heard her correctly before she had to parry the next knife to her head.

Katarina growled in her fury, closing the distance between herself and the white-haired warrior, attempting to gash her sword right through her stomach. There was such a wild force behind the attack that Riven was able to block it, but it also effectively threw her off-balance. Katarina _Shunpo_ed away the next second, only to reappear a few meters before her.  
Riven barely had time to gain a solid foothold again when Katarina jumped in the air and flew toward her, blade raised above her head. She wanted to skewer her. And sensing the blood-thirst in her move, Riven was positive the League's magic would punish her severely for it… A ferocious battle cry on her lips, the Du Couteau had her weapon already drilled through Riven's ribcage in her mind.

But despite clearly being in the advantage, what happened next was turning the tables completely. The Exile took half a step backward and _braced herself._ She discarded her massive sword and it skidded across the floor with a loud 'clank'. Katarina's body was aware of the movement before her mind could catch up and it moved on its own — letting the hand with the blade shift to the side.

"_Whaa—_" She collided with the Exile, now-empty palms crashing onto strong shoulders and her legs stretched out awkwardly to cushion the jump that had just so ungracefully turned into a fall. Her cry died and changed into a surprised yelp as she bumped into Riven's front, her legs reflexively settling on either side of her middle. She screwed her eyes shut for just a moment.  
Arms wrapped themselves around her thighs and Riven stumbled another step backward, but managed to keep standing. They came to a halt and Katarina opened her eyes, meeting a blazing red.

Her breath caught. Riven stared right back at her, their faces only inches away from one another. All thought was eradicated from her mind and she got aware of the position they were in — she was practically sitting on Riven's stomach, while the Exile had her hands on her thighs and Katarina's bosom was painfully obvious pressing into Riven's larger one.  
She felt her face heating up, spreading from her nose to her ears and even down her neck. _Holy shit! How the hell did this happen?!_ Riven's face was turned to stone. _Why is she looking at me like that? Why the heck is she looking at me like that?! What does she…_

Her voice was weak and it surprised them both. "_Riven…_" Katarina breathed, and stopped herself, suddenly torn. She was angry, furious even, and had attempted to impale the white-haired warrior just a second ago, but now… She wanted to do something else suddenly. Her eyes, wide in shock and confusion, flickered to Riven's lips—

—but Riven inhaled deeply through her nose and blinked, dropping Katarina in an instant. She turned around, rolling her shoulders and keeping her head down. "Guess we can call it a tie." There was a pause before she continued, "I gotta go."

And just like this, Riven picked up her blade and walked away from her. Katarina sat there on the ground in a daze. She blinked a few times, her eyes firmly trained on the Exile, and she wanted to shout at her and tell her to stay. But no words left her sealed lips when the door behind Riven fell closed.

Katarina didn't get up for a few moments, her mind in a disturbing state. _Why the fuck… did she catch me? Why the fuck did she have to catch me?! Gah, Riven, you oblivious moron!_ Her mental rage manifested itself in a string of muffled obscenities that she pressed through her gritted teeth, while she picked herself up from the floor. Her butt hurt.  
Angrily brushing her hair out of her face, the Du Couteau recollected her arsenal of weapons and decided she better waited until her face cooled down before she left the training room.

* * *

Katarina was even grumpier than usually and it certainly showed in the way she pushed her way through the crowds of people in the hallways of the Institute, or the deep scowl she wore on her rather delicate face. Even the scar over her left eye seemed to glow with hot fury.  
She didn't stop for anyone who called after her, didn't acknowledge anyone who greeted her, and even walked past an irritated Jericho Swain who had meant to ask her a question of importance. The man narrowed his eyes at her and stroked Beatrice's neck with two fingers as he turned and whispered something into the annoying bird's ear.

Her behavior had been strange to say the best. She had locked herself into her room for the majority of the evening and not a sound could have been heard from in there. So, naturally, Vladimir became quite worried.  
He was still a bit mad at her for dismissing his fashion tips for nothing, but he had promised himself he would try and help her with her little issue. So later that day, the Crimson Reaper stood before the red-head's door and knocked. "Katarina, I know you're in there. The Summoners have seen you enter and you haven't come out since then, so don't pretend you're not there."

He was regarded with utter silence and his patience was already running thin. He really wanted to avoid having to _Sanguine Pool_ing through under the door — once more satisfiedly acknowledging how very useful said skill was — since that would mean invading her personal space without her compliance and he hated doing such things.  
After another round of persistent knocking, there was finally some shuffling from inside the room. He waited politely and straightened when the door was suddenly yanked opened and he was met with the face of a rather furious Katarina Du Couteau. She didn't give him time to adjust; no, she just _screamed —_ "_AAAHH!_" — and threw the door closed again right before his nose.

Vladimir flinched, his eyes blinking uncontrollably, and took a moment to realize what had just happened. The air from Katarina's prompt movement blew a familiar stench into his face and the Crimson Reaper grimaced. "Katarina Du Couteau, have you been drinking again?! The inside of your room just _stinks_ like Rengarbräu!" He bumped his fist against the thick wood, "I thought Gragas told you to sleep it off before you asked him for anything again!"

"_Go away, I hate you!_" was the endearing response to that. There was more shuffling and Vladimir assumed Katarina had been in bed, hidden under her blanket with a bottle of the whiskey. He clenched his jaws, wanting to smash in the door and slap her in the face. It was a complete disgrace to see the famous Sinister Blade reduced to this picture of misery.  
But however long he stood there before her room trying to get her out, she wouldn't move. He gave up after at least half an hour looking like an idiot and instead shook his head with a sigh, "Fine, stay in there. I don't know what happened during your training, but don't overdo it with the drinking, Katarina! Better go to sleep, before you do something stupid…"

He left, and Katarina slowly placed the almost empty bottle of booze down on the nightstand beside her bed. She wiped her salty eyes, holding in another sob, and killed the last light in her room…


	3. Chapter 3

[A/N:] So, some more fighting. _Whoo!_ I haven't written 'real' fighting scenes in quite some time and I really hope they are believable… But onward without further ado!

* * *

The next morning was a torture for the Du Couteau. Her hangover manifested itself in a terribly throbbing headache and sore muscles. She felt as if she got dunked by Darius — twelve times in a row. Katarina grunted loudly and turned around in her bed, burying her face in her pillow.  
Sunlight was streaming in through her window and she wondered if she could will the curtains closed through sheer willpower. She was more than annoyed to find out that they instead opened further and not a second later, her room was flooded with accursed light.

_Wait a sec…_

A low chuckle erupted from the remnant shadows and the Du Couteau suddenly snapped out of her drowsiness. She jumped up in her bed and stood on the mattress, a long knife in her grip and a predatory look in her bloodshot eyes, "_Who goes there!?_"

"Ahahahaha! You look pathetic, dear _sister!_" hissed the voice of none other than Cassiopeia through the chamber and the Serpent's Embrace slithered into sight, resting her upper torso on the end of the bed. Her tongue darted out of her mouth, a bemused expression gleamed in her narrowed eyes, "Did my beloved sister not catch enough sleep last night or what is the matter with her today, hmm?" Her eyes went up and down Katarina's appearance. "Truly frightening," she mocked — taking in the rather hilarious sight of her sister in her silken nightgown standing on her disheveled bed with weapon in hand and dark red circles under her eyes.  
_Of __**course**__ it's her…_ "Holy shit, Cass! What the fuck do you want this early in the morning?!" Katarina insisted and let her weapon disappear from where it had come from. She flopped down again and threw her arms over her eyes to block out the sunlight. Cassiopeia pulled an elegant eyebrow up, "You did not take a look at your watch, did you?"

At this, she of course turned around and checked her watch — only to find that it was almost three in the middle of the day. She groaned again, "Oh shit…" Her sister twirled her tail around and admired the sharp nails on her left hand before glancing at the watch again, "You should probably get up, your next match is in approximately… thirty-two minutes."  
"WHAT!?" That sent the covers flying across the room and the fierce red-head stumbled toward her bathroom and set the water running. "Why didn't you come here sooner?!" Cassiopeia only snorted at this and got up as well, crossing her arms and glaring at the door, "Am I your peon now or what? You're old enough to keep track of time yourself."

Another grunt from under the shower, "Why can't you be there when I really need you?!" The Serpent's Embrace hissed. "Ungrateful bitch. You should be happy, at least _someone_ cares about you," she shot back viciously and there came no reply to that. Cassiopeia wondered if Katarina just didn't hear it over the running shower or if she chose to ignore it.  
But in the end, it didn't matter. When Katarina came rushing back into her bedroom, her sister was gone. _That stupid tramp… As if I didn't know that._ She got dressed in record time and hastily grabbed her weapons, then left for the summoning chambers.

* * *

The rest of her team was already assembled and half of the Champions threw her displeased looks. As so often in recent times, the Noxian General shrugged all of them off without a second glance and slumped down in the massive stone seat at one side of the chamber. She closed her eyes and welcomed the bristling magic that claimed her body while her consciousness slowly drifted away.

The next instant, she felt a strong pull and her body was dragged to the Fields of Justice. Her emerald eyes flew opened and she took in the sight of the large blue nexus in front of her; its crystal floating ominously in mid-air. Beside her, the other Champions appeared and the Sinister Blade actually took a moment to examine the lineup.  
To her right stood Leona in her impressive shining armor. The woman was easily towering over the majority of the other Champions in the League. Beside her was Ashe fixing a few lost strands of hair. Her legendary bow manifested out of thin air and the Avarosan took a firm hold of it. The red-headed assassin turned her annoyed gaze to the left and was met with the view of a quite content looking Nine-Tailed Fox.

Her eyebrow shot up and the Du Couteau turned her body toward Ahri. "Hold on, what's she doing here?" Ahri's ears perked up and the grin on the fox woman's face grew wider, her eyes sparkled. She didn't even retort to Katarina's exclamation and instead just went to the shopkeeper and purchased a Doran's Ring and two Health Potions as well as one of those makeshift wards. Katarina's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She was just about to unleash a string of insults on the fox lady when she spotted the last of her team mates just returning from buying her starting items.

_Riven._

The red-head stopped dead in her tracks, eyes locking with the Exile's, and her words got stuck in her throat. She almost made a face at the coincidence, _Am I being punished by an act of nature or what the fuck is wrong lately…?_ Riven was holding her gaze before she turned and set off into the southern jungle — probably to get to the Lizard Elder.  
Ashe was talking to her, but Katarina zoned her voice out and shrugged her companions off once more. "Never mind. I'll be top." She hastily bought herself some items and went without another glance backward, her hair hiding her expression from view. Ahri giggled endearingly from behind her and sprinted toward mid lane, while Leona took Ashe with her to go and assist Riven.

Katarina's pulse quickened. What on Runeterra was with this setup? Why had the Summoners considered taking two mid laners? _That's bullshit,_ she growled and sent a brainwave to her Summoner — letting him know that communication _beforehand_ was mandatory in winning a match. The poor boy cringed under the fuming assassin's temper but didn't respond. At least he had provided her with some Runes that gave her a little sustain; she would need that.  
The tiny gem stones were fastened on the belt around on her hips, glistening in different colors of red, blue and green. To further support her, he had chosen the Summoner Spells _Ignite_ and _Flash_ for her — a common and very useful combination that worked well in sync with her natural abilities. It would help her escape or chase after enemies and secure kills for her team.

Katarina jogged up to the turret in top lane and sat down under it, waiting for her minions to arrive. Her tummy growled and she cursed; had Cassiopeia shown up sooner, she would have had time for breakfast… She discarded the thought and heaved a sigh, _What have I gotten myself into again? Why is Riven even here…?_ Her gaze wandered to the thick wall of trees surrounding the monster camps that the Exile would farm up once she got her Red Buff.  
Katarina bit her lip. The warrior would no doubt come and aid her up here once she was able to. Top lane was always a hot paving and she definitely was not suited for this lane. She gritted her teeth and got up, dusting off the back of her pants, and caught up with her tiny blue pawns. Before storming into the fray however, the Sinister Blade threw down one of those odd plant-like Warding Totems — Zyra surely loved them — in the nearest brush. _Wouldn't want to get blown up first._

Her _Bouncing Blade_ rapidly hopped from minion to minion and the faint silhouette of one of her daggers appeared above those hit. She quickly ran up to them and struck their exposed weak points, dealing a little more damage than usually. Her eyes warily observed the road ahead. Her lane opposition had not yet shown up.  
The assassin growled — annoyed that she had yet again to wait for her enemy to show themselves. She took hold of two of her blades and swiftly whirled around, striking three minions at once and killing two of them off, before dealing with the last one with another quick jab to the head.

A booming loud "First Blood!" echoed over the battlefield and her Summoner informed her that their bot lane had just scored a kill. Katarina snorted; it was not even four minutes into the match and already someone was shedding their blood. She felt easier, knowing with a bitter afterthought that the damned first victim was not going to be her.

She sighed; her thoughts drifted back and forth from her encounter with the Exile yesterday and she wondered how it would affect the match today — _if_ at all. She had spent a good portion of the night laying wide awake in her bed in her wasted state and trying to figure out just why _the fuck_ she felt so attracted to the white-haired warrior in the first place.  
She faintly remembered how it had been in their past days in the Crimson Elite. Beside herself and Talon, Riven had proven to be the only one in the squad to be on a par with the two assassins. Well, Sivir was equally skilled of course, but she was no true Noxian, so she probably didn't count anyway.

Katarina was so absorbed in her mental debate and the killing off of minions that she did not notice someone sneaking up on her.

With blinding speed, something hit her in the shoulder and made her ears ring. She resisted the urge to clutch down on her right ear and spun around, facing in the direction of the brush in the river bed. Not a second later, a war cry erupted from within and a well-built man with a red blind over his eyes dashed toward her.

"Strike firmly!" he shouted and kicked her right in the gut. The Du Couteau got knocked back and spit the ground before her. _Lee Sin! That bastard…!_ She grunted in pain and threw another _Bouncing Blade_ at the Blind Monk which hit him in the knee, marking him.  
He didn't even flinch, the red rune stones floating around his body adding to his _Sonic Wave_'s damage and sending a burning pain through Katarina. She _Shunpo_ed away from him and hid behind a nearby allied minion, readying herself for a counter attack. The monk's face was expressionless as he charged again.

Suddenly, there appeared a Stealth Ward right beside her out of nowhere and Lee Sin flew toward it, his _Safeguard_ shielding him from incoming strikes of the blue minions. He engaged in combat with the Sinister Blade and all the minions around them quickly changed targets — attempting to protect their Champion from more harass.  
Katarina tried to dodge the Blind Monk's attacks as best as she could, but the man was a skillful fighter and his technique was nearly unbeatable in close combat. Where she expected her blades would go through soft flesh, they only struck air.

She growled, "You have chosen the wrong opponent today, Lee Sin!", and charged with another _Shunpo_ followed up by a quick _Sinister Steel._ The Ionian actually stumbled from the onslaught and backed away before throwing his fist to the ground and complement his attack with a _Cripple._ Katarina lost her balance for a second and felt herself growing exhausted significantly.  
_No way… Not with me, Blind Monk!_ But she would not be a Noxian General for nothing — Katarina pressed her jaws together and bit through the pain, straightening and releasing her full power on the poor man.

She hit him with _Bouncing Blades,_ adding a _Shunpo_ and another _Sinister Steel,_ before she got into position for her ultimate. A vicious grin was plastered on her face and Katarina's hand disappeared within the many hidden pockets of her attire—

—and in the next instant, she became death itself. "_Eat this!_" she yelled and spun around on the spot, throwing knives in such quick succession at Lee Sin that the Ionian was too stunned to do anything about it. Blood splattered all across their battlefield and the maniac laughter of the Sinister Blade echoed through top lane.

It all was so fast that the whole ordeal was over within about three seconds. There was a commotion and the shuffling of a third body, but Katarina kept on flinging her blades in a _Death Lotus_ at Lee Sin. She came to a halt, her hair a complete mess by now, but the sight of the man's corpse on the ground was enough to satisfy her to a large degree, "Too easy."  
However, when she stepped back, she caught movement in the corner of her eye. Killer instincts sending a surge through her, the Sinister Blade took stance and was met with none other than the Will of the Blades.

There was a stunned silence for a moment between the two and Katarina could see blood dripping from a wound on Irelia's arm — a knife of hers was stuck in it. Lee Sin's dead body vanished and the gems that were formerly adorning him were now circling around her.  
Katarina grinned, pure _Voracity_ shining in her emerald eyes, and she licked her drawn blade, "We meet again." Irelia stood firm, her cut-open arm drawn back behind her to shield it from more damage. Her face was tense but she didn't give any of her agony away.

She pulled her eyebrows deep and let go of her arm, taking her famous _Hiten Style_ fighting stance. She dashed forward through the minions, pushing them aside with a sudden vigor, and lunged herself at Katarina with a battle cry, "_Hahh!_"  
Sharp steel drilled itself in the Sinister Blade's flank and she recoiled, parrying the other third blades only barely. She ducked under another stab and pushed Irelia's outstretched arm away, forcing her body forward and they crashed into each other. The red-headed assassin's blade was narrowly avoided by a maddening twist and for a second Katarina wondered if Irelia even had a fucking spine to begin with. _Elise in disguise?!_

The Will of the Blades immediately took advantage of her opponent's short moment of hesitation and got behind her, two blades at the ready — and with a quick flick of the wrist, the blades slashed clean through Katarina's torso, bursting out at the front with a lot of Noxian blood. Irelia's expression turned into a grin, "Cut them down."  
The image before her blurred, and she blinked, and suddenly there was nothing more than a blue caster minion skewered on her blades. "What!?" She straightened and a spiteful laughter from behind her let her know that she just got baited and outsmarted. Not fast enough to spin around, a hard kick in the back sent the Ionian to the ground flat on her stomach.

Katarina was standing two feet away, with a knife in hand, and had yet to cease her annoying cackling. "What's up, Irelia? I knew you Ionians loved nature, but I didn't know you liked playing in the dirt _that_ much!" The red-head attempted to end it, but her taunting only got under Irelia's skin. The woman rolled out of harm's way — now on her back — and kicked Katarina right in the face with both feet clad in steel-soled combat boots.  
That made the Du Couteau effectively shut up. She fell on her butt and sat there weeping for a moment, blood running through her fingers as she held her nose. Irelia wasn't really sure, but there appeared to be tears in her eyes. _Now that was satisfying._

"You-You _BITCH!_ You fucking, Ionian _BITCH!_" the Sinister Blade lamented and rocked back and forth with her ass on the ground, toes curling inside her boots. _Fuck, that __**hurts!**_ Her glare was almost as frightening as the feeling that grabbed you when you felt Karthus _Requiem_ing you and you were not entirely sure if you would survive it or not.  
Irelia actually felt a chill run down her spine. She scrambled to her feet and held her pained back, her blades repositioning beside her. As much as she would have liked to end it and avenge Lee Sin's death, she did not feel very well right now and that prevented her from striking. Besides, she loved the sight of a crying Katarina sitting in the dirt.

The red-head got up as well, hands shaking as she grabbed two of her most terrifying-looking blades. The smear of red on her face was covering her entire jaw and she breathed heavily. Her eyes were glinting in pure and utter rage.  
"You are so dead, Irelia… You are _so dead!_" she screamed and charged, unleashing a ferocious _Sinister Steel_ upon her that had her cut-open in the face, on the arms and upper torso.

"_Aah!_" In a last attempt to keep herself from dying, Irelia commanded her Summoner to _Exhaust_ the raving assassin. The Summoner acted immediately and the Sinister Blade was slowed down significantly, but it didn't stop her from thrashing Irelia.

So she gritted her teeth, raised her blades, and brought them down in an _Equilibrium Strike_ that left Katarina in a daze. She stumbled backward and her blades fell to the ground — she was too weak. Her view was sprinkled with red dots and her arms shook. Katarina fell to her knees.  
Irelia gathered her will and commanded her blades to stay close at her body as she carefully stepped toward the crouching assassin. Their eyes locked and there was obvious dislike evident. Irelia would not hesitate, "It ends here."

_Fucking Ionian…_

The Will of the Blades towered above her and Katarina was paralyzed — there was nothing she could do. So she closed her eyes when Irelia pointed her blades' sharp tips at her pathetic form and awaited imminent death. Her last thoughts regarded the smile Riven wore on her face when she and Irelia had been in the training room yesterday.

_**Fucking Ionian…**_

* * *

[A/N:] Poor Kat. Now she really gets her ass handed to her…

If you want to give your "get well" wishes for Kat's bum, then just leave a review for her :-P (God, I love my own lame-ass jokes)


	4. Chapter 4

[A/N:] Oh, what's this?! A wild **Sudden Plot Twist** appears! lol.

I decided that turning the tables a little would do some good maybe. But that doesn't mean I'll let Kat off the hook, hehehe. So here you get the conclusion of the fight. Enjoy and don't forget to review, flame or verbally mangle me in any way you deem appropriate!

* * *

But the strike never hit home. Katarina snapped her eyes opened when she heard the biting sound of metal against metal and she raised her head — seeing a tall figure forced in-between herself and the Will of the Blades.

_Green_ was the prominent color she saw and the aura in front of her glowed in the shape of ancient Noxian runes. Katarina's jaw positively dropped — standing protectively above her was Riven.

The Exile had used her _Valor_ to dash into the fray and block all of Irelia's _Transcendent Blades_ and was currently pushing the Ionian backward. She threw a glance behind herself, her crimson gaze burning, before giving chase to the now fleeing Irelia. "Get up," she commanded.  
Katarina's head spun. A second ago, she was practically dead and now here she sat, alive and — _almost_ — well. And all that because _Riven had made a heroic jump to her rescue!_ She felt tears welling up and the urge to hysterically go into rhapsodies all over the place, but the sharp shout from the white-haired warrior was enough to shake her out of her reverie.

"I said _get up!_" Not really used to taking orders from others — since there were so few in a higher position than herself — Katarina forced her battered body out of the dirt and clutched her side. A new minion wave was incoming and the tiny creeps shuffled around her to shield her from more damage before following their other Champion into the battle.  
Riven let out an annoyed growl, obviously directed at her, and kept pressing on with a power of will that was beyond Katarina's comprehension. She just _oozed_ strength; and the red-headed assassin found herself reminded of how fiercely she had fought in her prior days. It was not much of a difference to see her now. She blushed.

"Go back and heal up, I'll take care of this!" Riven barked when she saw that the Sinister Blade was _still_ standing there like an idiot. She could not remember her being so dense, but she shrugged it off… Katarina limped back behind the turret and heavily leant against it, releasing a deep sigh. Her Summoner took over and initiated the _Recall_ as blue lights enveloped the assassin.  
Her eyes went to Riven once more — intensely striving against Irelia who was by now camping under her own turret. A sadistic smirk curled the corners of her lips upward when the Noxian General regarded the dark-haired Ionian; her jungler was dead and would not be able to help her out of this one. _Fair trade_, she decided and was teleported back to the nexus.

* * *

The shopkeeper threw a warm smile and the Sinister Blade felt somewhat irritated at the man's friendly behavior. He was never impolite or vengeful, regardless of who asked him for anything. She rolled her shoulders, feeling much better than before, and approached the weird-looking creature. _I wonder what species he is… A Yordle maybe?_ Then again, it was hard to determine… After all, his face was furry as heck.

"Sinister Blade, what can I get you this time?" She stepped closer to his small shop and the touch-screen stationary in the counter that displayed every item and equipment he had in store. Quickly browsing through the rather long list while simultaneously keeping an eye on him, Katarina discussed her purchase with her Summoner and eventually settled for a Haunting Guise, a pair of Sorcerer's Shoes and a few Health Potions plus a Stealth Ward.

This would hopefully make her a little more persevering, because Irelia's blades sure _hurt._ After the little shopping spree, she returned to her lane. Riven had already pushed past the turret — as had the annotator announced to the Champions on the Field — and was retreating into the jungle when she saw Katarina approaching. Sadly, Irelia had not fallen to Riven's blade, which was leaving her with a somewhat bitter taste in her mouth…  
However, the Sinister Blade steeled herself and stopped the warrior with a firm hand on her shoulder. The Exile halted and looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Thanks for ganking." There was a small pause in Riven and the assassin wondered if she would say something to her. But then she nodded and set off.

Katarina forced herself not to look after her. It would only distract her from the task at hand. Her gaze darkened — she had an Ionian to kill. Equipped with her new items, the laning phase went by a little more comfortable. She had immediately warded the tri-brush to prevent the enemies from catching her off-guard again and felt more at ease. Once Irelia had come back to lane, she and Katarina had held a moderate distance from each other.  
They rounded their minions carefully and only struck for a last hit when it was absolutely safe. Meanwhile, their bot lane turret got destroyed by the enemy team, but Ahri in mid lane wasn't doing too badly. Riven was quickly swinging from lane to lane and ganking whenever possible. She and Lee Sin had faced off behind the trees and brushes a few times and got out with an equal amount of kills and deaths.

Katarina's Red Buff had long since run out, but since her lane was pushed quite far — which wasn't really her doing, but whatever — she felt snug. After all, Lee Sin was just ganking bottom lane to push further and therefore she was completely safe—

—until there was a turquoise-colored blast of pure energy from the tri-brush that viciously crashed into her side and sent her flying a few meters. Her Stealth Ward had vanished, "Fuck!" The red-headed assassin fought herself up again; and just in time to block a _Bladesurge_ from Irelia.

She _Shunpo_ed away from her assailant and saw Karma stepping out of the brush, her deep eyes trained on the assassin firmly. She had her hands raised in a fighting stance, her posture impressive as always. Irelia took position before her and they both lunged.  
"Dirty Ionians!" Katarina angrily yelled and ran; trying to fight them off with _Bouncing Blades._ Irelia was glaring at her, "Stop running, Sinister Blade! Face us _dirty Ionians!_" The woman was blazing and it actually added some jocularity to the situation. Katarina cackled while running away and winked at her, flipping her off. Irelia shouted back an insult the Du Couteau was certain couldn't even be found in the pretty colorful vocabulary of her sister and she cackled some more.

Karma had a bored expression when she noticed that their opponent was making more distance. She concentrated her energy — "You know what they say… Karma always catches up to you." — and used her power to enhance her and Irelia's movement speed.  
"Lath Rian Oune Vi! Now, focus!" Katarina's expression slipped when she saw the aura encasing both Ionians and they were running up to her like two massive trains of doom. "_Help._"

Her Summoner cursed in frustration and _Flash_ed her a few meters ahead, but the enhancement of Karma's _Defiance_ was making it all useless. They caught up to her.

"Now, time to die!" Irelia made a jump and brought her blades down on her in an _Equilibrium Strike,_ effectively slowing her down for the Enlightened One to close the gap. She readied another _Mantra_ and hit Katarina with a _Soulflare_ which practically rooted her to the spot. Her Summoner shouted wildly and was talking about "getting Merc's Treads next time."  
_Shit, shit, shit! Need to get… out of here!_ She struggled against the monstrous slow but didn't make it out of Karma's range and the _Soulflare_ erupted in bright flames that engulfed her. "Take this, pesky Noxian!" Irelia yelled, digging her blades into her back. Katarina could only watch on in horror as her legs buckled out under her and the dark-haired warrior leapt and dealt the last strike.

This time there would be no Riven to save her.

* * *

A dark growl escaped her lungs and the Sinister Blade relaxed her sore muscles when she got up. The stone seat had been uncomfortable as always and the fact that her bruised butt still hurt like hell wasn't making it any better.

Her emerald eyes flickered opened and she threw a glance into the summoning chamber. Ashe and Leona looked quite beaten; they had lost against Miss Fortune and Nami who practically dominated the lane the whole match. Those two were merrily chit-chatting at the other side of the room and complementing each other for their skillful performance.  
Katarina threw a look over to Sarah who had an arm around the Tidecaller's shoulders and squeezed her — telling her something that made the fish giggle. She gritted her teeth at the display and wondered; Sarah rarely was affectionate toward someone but this actually seemed genuine. They left together without caring about anyone else.

Ahri was nowhere to be seen; the Nine-Tailed Fox was probably up and away to do how she pleased again. But what really ground Katarina's gears was the sight of Riven congratulating Lee Sin and _bowing_ before him. The two were being way too friendly with each other — Riven was still a goddamned Noxian and these guys over there were the _enemy._  
It spoiled her giant appetite a bit. The red-head crossed her arms over her chest and tried to listen in to their conversation, but the commotion going on in the room was too great. The Summoners were just disconnecting themselves from the Fields and quickly zoned in on their respective Champs.

Katarina already saw her Summoner, an incredibly tall young man, walking up to her when she decided she should be going. However, her gaze drifted over to where Irelia and Karma stood and the Will of the Blades was throwing her a look that said "Yes, I saw you were watching Riven." and the smirk plastered on her face added something akin to "She's no longer the same as you."  
It made the hairs on her neck stand on end. Her fingers twitched in an urge to grab her weapons and have a serious word with Irelia, but her Summoner had already reached her and was talking to her excitedly. She brushed him off and stormed out of the chamber.

"'_Karma catches up to you,_'" she parroted the Enlightened One in a high-pitched tone and shook her head, "Pah, bullshit. I had _so_ won the lane had she not have to baby-sit that bitchy midget…" Her Summoner was left dumbfounded but didn't run after her — which was probably the healthier decision for him.

At the corner was Vladimir already waiting for her. She rolled her eyes when she saw him. "What's with that stupid grin? Did you give yourself a hand job again?" His face darkened immediately at that. "Honestly, what is wrong with you? I thought you'd be happy that you just won a match, but _no_ — you're rather nagging at me."  
She managed a grin at that, "That's right, you clever bastard." He followed her to the Noxian wing. "You did quite well against Irelia. Your sister and I were watching and even though you don't deserve it — I must say, I'm impressed."

He chuckled, "I mean, after that surprise attack from Lee Sin we both thought you would be done for, but you held your ground. And Riven had made an excellent entrance, so—" The red-headed assassin roughly shoved her elbow into his ribs at the name, "Okay, what the hell are you on about?" Vladimir watched her carefully. "Have you talked to her? I saw that you said something to her, but we couldn't hear it over the noises around… So what'd you say?" Katarina was silent.  
Usually she would have kicked him in the shin for poking his nose into things that were none of his business, but since Vladimir was — apart from her sister — the only one that knew her dirty little secret, she had to put up with it. Well, to a degree at least.

"Nothing," she snorted. It was true practically; she had said nothing with gossip potential. "_Nothing?_" The Crimson Reaper just eyed her suspiciously. "Yes, Vlad, fucking _nothing._ Now leave me be, you're annoying." But the man was persistent as the headache you got when you heard someone screaming "DEMACIA!" — _maddening._  
Speaking of Demacia; the Captain of the Dauntless Vanguard was just entering the hallway before them. Katarina immediately felt queasy when he spotted her. _Oh God, please no…_ There was a gleam in his eyes and Garen began to swank — or rather tried to. With his chin up and chest out he swaggered down the corridor. He had his gaze entirely focused on her and when he passed, he drove a hand through his short hair and winked. _Someone kill me…_

The assassin turned away with wide eyes, feeling mortally embarrassed for him, and hoped Vladimir would spare her any ridiculous comments. But naturally, it was futile. "_Ohoho,_ someone's got _both_ their eyes on you." He nudged her in the side and threw a glance backward; only to see Garen intently checking out her rear end.  
The Might of Demacia straightened and turned away, a faint pink hue on his cheeks. Vladimir stifled his laughter, "_Superb._" Katarina meanwhile was accelerating her pace to get away from this imbecile as fast as possible. "Shut up, Vlad. I don't wanna hear it."

He chuckled and they reached the Noxian wing. "Did _Riven_ ever check out your ass?" She punched him, face bright red, "What the fuck?! Shut your lousy mouth, you giant blooper!" Now he laughed. "Why so on edge, my dear? No need to worry, you do have a fine rear to watch," he added and gave her a slap on the butt to which she only jumped. "Watch it, creep! My ass still hurts…" Katarina mumbled and for a second he watched her with a confused expression before dismissing it.

"So, you didn't answer my question. What did you say to our beloved Exile?" She ignored him. "Come on, darling, I know how you feel. It's okay, I'm here to help you with—" Katarina's eye twitched. She grabbed him by the shoulder and threw him against the wall, bringing her face up close to his frightened stare. "_Eep._"  
"You wanna know what I said to her?" A mean grin appeared. "I asked her _about her opinion on __FEATHER BOAS!_" Vladimir shrunk away and made a hurt face — okay, maybe that idea wasn't the best he ever had. But she didn't try it, so she couldn't say it wouldn't work anyway. "Ugh!" Katarina threw her arms up in the air and stomped to her room, while the Crimson Reaper pushed himself off the wall. "Fine, I get it."

She was already halfway through her door when he called, "Swain wants to see us later. You better not get wasted before the meeting, Katarina." He threw her a look and then disappeared in the direction of his own room, but not without hearing her firing back across the whole corridor, "And you? Did you talk to Taric yet?"

* * *

[A/N:] I have never tried Taric in-game actually… but his potential in fanfiction is truly outrageous :_D

And, to further disappoint you: I won't be able to upload in the next week. Exams are coming and I need to prepare for them. I'll try to write the next chapter though and maybe I can publish it as soon as my exams are over.

By the way: Kat says thanks for the "get well" wishes. It didn't really help though 8D


	5. Chapter 5

[A/N:] Welcome back to _Party at Swain's Place!_ At least that was the working title of this chapter when I wrote it… Thanks for your patience; I hope you will not be disappointed with this chapter :-P

Let me know what you think and have fun reading!

* * *

Katarina pushed the door to the meeting room opened and waltzed in, kicking it closed again with her foot. Her sudden intrusion drew the looks of the present Noxian Champions, but the Sinister Blade ignored them expertly. Her eyes scanned the room and she made a sharp turn to the right, promptly planting herself down on the sofa between her sister and Talon. Cassiopeia threw her an angered glare, but she didn't acknowledge it.

Her fellow assassin just nodded shortly and shifted over. Cassiopeia hissed, "What the hell, Kat?" But the older Du Couteau dismissed her with a mumble. "Sorry, this ain't finished yet…" So she drew a knife from her thigh and started picking at the thick wooden table before her — continuing exactly where she had left off last meeting.  
She had already completed the Noxian crest with its little skull and little weapons, and currently she was picturing a small mini-comic in which she was murdering Garen in many marvelous ways. Talon glanced over to her and pointed out how well she had managed to carve out his incredibly big mouth in a death scream. It really was a miracle — whenever he shouted Demacia's motto, you could literally look into his stomach and see what he had had for lunch. It was beyond gross.

Cassiopeia just eyed them both with a curious look, then shook her head. Vladimir was sitting on the other side of the table, lazily swirling a droplet of his own blood around in the air. There was silence in the room despite the annoying sound of metal scratching wood and Cassiopeia was harshly grinding her teeth.  
Eventually, the door opened and in came Draven. The Glorious Executioner was smirking and swaggered to sit beside Vladimir, "_Hello, ladies._" Behind him, a very grumpy-looking Darius entered. When Draven waved him over to sit beside him, he just glared and deliberately sat down at the other end of the table.

That had his brother glooming a little, but luckily his ego was way too large to sustain any lasting damage. No, Draven just turned his attention to the two women before him. Cassiopeia pulled up an eyebrow, already annoyed by him and his antics.  
"So, whatcha doin' there, beautiful?" he asked directed at Katarina, but she didn't reply. "Finishing your drawings? Man, you got style!" When he leant over the table to take a closer look at Garen impaled on three Noxian spears, the Sinister Blade slapped him on the wrist. "Don't you dare, Draven!"

He recoiled, "Not Draven; _Draaaaven._" A grunt was the response, but the man simply gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up, "Nice picture anyways. You go, girl!" Darius only sat there and tried not to facepalm at his little brother, but it proved harder every day. Since he had joined the League, he had become an even bigger attention whore.  
Last week, he had even spent a few hours in the Dungeons — because he just couldn't stop pestering the Summoners and one of them had eventually called the Judicator to deal with him. Kayle had promptly thrown him in there for a while to think about his behavior. But he wouldn't be Draven of course if he changed his ways because of some inconvenience. Darius sighed.

Luckily for everyone, before the crazy man could do anything else, Swain and LeBlanc entered. The Noxians straightened at seeing the Grand General and Matron of the Black Rose; obviously the highest ranking personalities in the small room. And heck, the room _was_ small.  
Beatrice frantically flew over the heads of the people assembled and cawed away until she perched on Swain's pauldron and eyed Katarina for a short time. She shuddered; God, that bird's stare was burning holes into her very soul. _Geez…_ And as if the creepy poultry was somehow mentally communicating with its master, Swain bored his eyes into her as well. She subtly let the knife in her hand disappear under the table top and placed her arm over her latest carving.

The Master Tactician sat down beside Darius, at one head end of the table, while LeBlanc took a seat at the other. She darted a disgusted look at Draven and inched a little closer to Cassiopeia. The Serpent's Embrace didn't exactly like the Deceiver, but in this case she didn't even mind.

Swain threw a glance into the round, "Very well. I have called you all here today to further discuss the course of action regarding our infiltration of the League." He was met with interested silence, LeBlanc was leisurely swirling a spoon through her tea — and no one wondered where the hell it came from just now. The tea cup was probably only an illusion anyway… Just like LeBlanc herself. _And the meeting, hopefully,_ Katarina added mentally.  
"Singed informed me the other day that he and Dr. Mundo were making great progress in developing a new substance to manipulate a person's nervous system — and thus their brain. They left the League for a while and are currently in Zaun to administer the last tests."

"What kind of serum are we talking about exactly?" LeBlanc asked politely and sipped from her tea. The man locked gazes with the Deceiver, but the woman didn't even flinch, "It is a liquid preparation to be injected right into the spinal cord. It will cause a neurological disorder within the target's nervous system and enable another person to manipulate them."  
That had the whole party, minus the Matron, gaping, "That way, we can inject the serum into the High Councilors and take control over the League without having anyone taking guesses. The effect will only be temporary, but it will suffice for our cause."

LeBlanc pulled up an elegant eyebrow and shot him a disbelieving look, "And as of now, they are still experimenting on lab rats, is that it?" Swain returned a hard stare, "No. Singed assured me that the recipe is complete and the serum will be ready to be injected in a person's organism in only a few more days. They just need to change the dose of a few ingredients and it will be done."  
His unsettling gaze swayed over his inferiors. "Some of you… will be the test subjects." Katarina lifted her chin at that and Cassiopeia positively hissed in resentment. Her tongue darted back and forth, "So you're telling me I should provide my body for some adulterated cocktail that _might_ transform my brain to mush for only a period of time, but is more likely to permanently reduce me to a mentally deranged person? And here I'm still being generous in my assumption that it won't _kill_ me instantly."

He didn't reply, but his jaws clenched. The Grand General was obviously displeased to hear such vehement refusal. Talon lowered his head to shield the expression on his face from view. He probably thought the exact same thing as Katarina herself. "Cassiopeia… I'm not giving you a choice on the matter," Swain said darkly.  
The younger Du Couteau glared at him indignantly. LeBlanc sipped from her tea, but otherwise didn't give anything away. Draven just scratched his chin — knowing him and his craving for everyone's attention, he would probably take the risk with Singed's chemical mix. "That's cracked," he said, "I'm doin' it."

Darius tensed up but held his mouth shut. Swain seemed pleased at this. "A volunteer, good. The others should take a leaf out of your book, Draven." The Glorious Executioner beamed and banged his fists on the table, leaving imprints, "I'm _totally_ doin' it!"  
_What the fuck are you doing, Swain…?_ Katarina narrowed her eyes. This was definitely going to be an issue. Whatever Swain had the Mad Scientist and Mundo working on was going to be highly dangerous for anyone; no exception.

She had expected him to discard the idea when he had first said something about such a thing a few months ago. She had not thought he would actually go through with it — and even when she disregarded the fact that _Singed_ of all people was one of the creators of this quack remedy; considering the short development time, it was very likely to be a fatal failure. Katarina swallowed; she did not want her sister to have to take this stuff. Vladimir was unusually quiet as well, not even meeting her gaze.

Swain continued when nobody responded to his indirect order. "I did not expect you to agree with me right after tonight…" _Or at all,_ the Sinister Blade almost snorted. "You still have some time before Singed returns with the final results." His eyes became dark, "Better reconcile with the idea, though."

Katarina pressed her jaws together, her hands gripping the knife under the table. _You bastard…_ Swain let his words sink in and rose; Beatrice giving a loud caw. "I will inform you of anything else. Until then, keep from attracting attention."  
With that, he turned and left. Surprisingly enough, Darius didn't follow him. He sat rooted to the spot, his glare boring into the table top. Vladimir huffed, "Out with it, Darius." He must have noticed too.

The Hand of Noxus stared at him for a long moment before addressing the whole party, "I know this may not sound like sunshine and roses, but if this is a means to strengthen our military and take control of the League, we have to do it." Vladimir shot him a look, "By trial and error?! Are you kidding me? This is going to be someone's death, I already see it coming!"  
"Careful, Crimson Reaper… You're still talking to your superior." He actually shrunk back a little, averting his white eyes and resuming the action of messing around with his blood. "Well, it's easy for you to talk, Darius! _You_ probably _don't_ have to be available for Singed's shit!" Cassiopeia leant forward and hissed at the precious right hand of their Grand General. His face turned to stone — "No, but I have a _brother_ who will." — and glared at Draven, silently cursing him for his big-ass mouth.

Draven on the other hand didn't even notice. He was currently staring into his handheld mirror, making smooching faces at himself. The others shook their heads at him.

There was a tense silence in the room and every Noxian was left to their own thoughts. Katarina absentmindedly brought the knife back to the surface and continued picking her comic. _This is idiotic… Why doesn't he simply let Singed inject his own death sentence to himself? Why do we have to put up with it? That's unfair and cowardly!_ She fumed again.  
Eventually, Darius stood and made to leave. Draven immediately jumped up as well. Before the Hand of Noxus left however, he hesitated in the door frame. "Stay true to our cause… and Noxus will rise." Then the Blood Brothers were gone.

There was a chuckle to Katarina's right and she looked at LeBlanc, who had just finished her tea. The Deceiver glanced back with a fine sophisticated smirk on her dark lips. "Well, it is late already. I should be going as well — there is so much to do still." Vladimir grunted, "What, already leaving the party?" She made a smug face, "I'm afraid so. There are important things I must attend to, but you go ahead and enjoy…" she made a meaningful pause, "…the rest of your time."  
Katarina felt the need to grab her and pump her until she spit all her dirty little secrets, but the Deceiver vanished with a loud 'poof' — and there was nothing more left but the empty tea cup. All eyes stared at the blank place. So she had been a clone after all.

_I wonder what else they have in store for us…_

* * *

Later that evening, Katarina managed to catch her sister before the door to her room. The last four of them had gone their separate ways to think about Swain's plan of action and Katarina — while wolfing down a feast in the canteen to still her protesting tummy — had come to the only logical conclusion on the matter. It was quite obvious, really.

"What in the— Kat?" Cassiopeia hissed, the scales on her lower body standing on edge. Her sister had snuck up on her from behind and was now shoving her into her room. "What do you want? It's quite late," she whined and made a beeline for her bed.  
The Sinister Blade shuffled inside the bedroom and checked the windows for a spy aka Beatrice. She pulled the curtains closed, while Cassiopeia looked on bored. "Kat, what are you doing?"

"Be quiet. I'm checking the environment." The Serpent's Embrace made a confused face, bewildered at her sister's behavior. "What for? There's no one here." Eventually, Katarina settled down on the bed as well, intently staring at the younger Du Couteau.  
"Swain is an idiot. He can't really expect any of us to be his lab rats. Well, aside from Draven of course…" she waved her hand dismissively, "But that's not the point." Cassiopeia crossed her arms over her chest, "What _is_ the point then?"

For a moment, the red-headed assassin carefully seemed to search for the right words. She looked away, not daring to meet her sister's eyes. _Gosh, this shouldn't be so embarrassing. She's my sis, goddammit._ She took a deep breath, "I don't want you to volunteer."  
The serpentine woman blinked at her a few times and then burst out in amused laughter, "Aha, and what makes you think I would actually volunteer for this madness? Come on, Kat, I know you don't give my credit for my intelligence, but I'm not _that_ stupid."

Katarina remained utterly serious. "I mean it, Cass. Swain is playing a dangerous game this time and I…" she struggled again, "…I don't want anything to happen to you."

That, plus the somewhat forlorn look in her sister's eyes was enough to make her stop laughing. She held Katarina's gaze, and saw a rosy color on her cheeks. It made her feel slightly warmer around her heart. "Kat… Are you worried about me?"  
"You're my sister… Of course I am!" she mumbled, the blush intensifying. The younger Du Couteau was a little speechless — she and Katarina had never been so in touch with their feelings toward each other, but hearing her sister say that she cared for her was really endearing.

Cassiopeia reached out and squeezed her hand, a slight smile on her lips. She didn't know what to say, so she assumed it would be best to remain silent. Katarina returned the squeeze, but then pulled her hand back and got up.  
"Well, I'll be going now. I got a headache from all this bullshit, I guess it's bed time… Or time for a drink…" That didn't go unheard and the Serpent's Embrace was back to her unsentimental state of mind. "Don't let me catch you lurking around Gragas' bar, Kat. You better head straight for your quarters; your little drinking problem is getting out of hand."

The Sinister Blade shot her a glare, "Tseh, it's not." She turned and was about to leave when she dropped another bomb this evening, "I'll volunteer for Swain. That way you won't have to do it." Cassiopeia was just about to argue with her, but when she turned around to face her sister, she was already gone.

She bit her lip, the same concern that had her sister in a death grip gnawing at her, "Dammit, Kat…"

* * *

[A/N:] No Riven this time, sorry to disappoint. I decided to add a little more depth to the story and worked out an actual — albeit very rough — script. Let's see if I manage to stick with it :-P

Plus, I think I won't be able to upload very regularly. I have a new job and I need to sort some personal stuff out, which will consume some of my free time. But I promise I'll try and upload new chapters whenever I can.


End file.
